Seemingly pointless services

[mervyn72]

So my journey to work is now by train and on the way home I get the 1827 from Cambridge.
Now, the 1819 to Kings Lynn calls only at Waterbeach before Ely. It's a 4 car class 379.

3 minutes later the 1822 calls Cambridge North and Waterbeach terminating at Ely then running empty to Cambridge sidings.
Why the extra train when the 1819 could easily do the call at Cambridge North and as I've witnessed, it's not more than a third full.

The 1822 had no more than 10 pax tonight

Prepare for floodgates to open with other examples...

 

[bramling]

So my journey to work is now by train and on the way home I get the 1827 from Cambridge.
Now, the 1819 to Kings Lynn calls only at Waterbeach before Ely. It's a 4 car class 379.

3 minutes later the 1822 calls Cambridge North and Waterbeach terminating at Ely then running empty to Cambridge sidings.
Why the extra train when the 1819 could easily do the call at Cambridge North and as I've witnessed, it's not more than a third full.

The 1822 had no more than 10 pax tonight

Prepare for floodgates to open with other examples...

There's a batch of early-morning King's Cross to Cambridge and Peterborough semi-fast services which run *very* empty. Previously there were just two GN services out of King's Cross before 0600 (one 4-car and one 8-car), now there are seven, made up of four 12-cars and three 8-cars. Naturally a lot of this is for positioning purposes, with limited stabling at the country end, however there's a lot of fresh air being moved by these services.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There's a batch of early-morning King's Cross to Cambridge and Peterborough semi-fast services which run *very* empty. Previously there were just two GN services out of King's Cross before 0600 (one 4-car and one 8-car), now there are seven, made up of four 12-cars and three 8-cars. Naturally a lot of this is for positioning purposes, with limited stabling at the country end, however there's a lot of fresh air being moved by these services.

Very often this kind of train just runs in service because it's got a driver and a guard and so might as well. The 0713 off Bletchley is really a Tring stopper that carries about 10 people north thereof. But it's run like that because it starts at Bletchley depot with a Bletchley crew and so it might as well. Interestingly it's being extended back to Northampton in May, though it'll be interested to see how much use it gets in that form.

In DOO-land you also get cases of trains that stay in service to save the driver doing the "kicking off" on his/her own at an unsupported location. which if they carried guards would quite possibly not run in service.

 

[PHILIPE]

We have just had a similar thread:-

www.railforums.co.uk/threads/completely-empty-trains.174844/

 

[mervyn72]

I get the early morning/late evening services which are mostly positioning moves to/from stabling, but my 1822 example is different as it could easily run straight to the sidings with the same driver.

 

[Ianno87]

So my journey to work is now by train and on the way home I get the 1827 from Cambridge.
Now, the 1819 to Kings Lynn calls only at Waterbeach before Ely. It's a 4 car class 379.

3 minutes later the 1822 calls Cambridge North and Waterbeach terminating at Ely then running empty to Cambridge sidings.
Why the extra train when the 1819 could easily do the call at Cambridge North and as I've witnessed, it's not more than a third full.

The 1822 had no more than 10 pax tonight

Prepare for floodgates to open with other examples...

Calling the 1819 at Cambridge North might bust the single line to King's Lynn.

But both services long predate the opening of Cambridge North.

 

[_toommm_]

22:07 Manchester Vic to Stalybridge (originates from Wigan I believe), followed shortly by the 22:14 Manchester Vic to Stalybridge.